Rep. Pete Olson targets a little known provision of Obamacare

If House Republicans can’t repeal Obamacare, at least they should tinker with some of the provisions that carry unintended consequences.

That’s the strategy of Rep. Pete Olson, a Sugar Land Republican who filed legislation today that’s designed to “protect employees” from some of the impacts of Obamacare.

Olson chose to submit the legislation on the first anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that upheld the constitutionality of President Obama’s premier domestic accomplishment so far.

House Republicans have repeatedly tried but failed to repeal the package of health care changes.

One feature of the Affordable Health Care Act that takes effect next year requires employers with more than 50 employees to provide health insurance coverage to anyone who works full-time.

But the law would qualify hundreds of thousands of additional workers for required employer-provided coverage by redefining full-time employment as 30 hours a week instead of 40 hours a week.

Many employers will just reduce part-time workers’ hours to less than 30 hours a week to avoid the “onerous insurance mandates of Obamacare, causing incredible hardships on these wage earners and their families,” Olson says.

“As atrocious as the government intrusion into health care is under Obamacare, the 30-hour definition is tying the hands of employers by forcing them to reduce many of their part-time employees’ hours,” Olson said.

“This is a direct hit to job creation and the pocketbooks of struggling families, single parents and young Americans who need to work,” Olson added.

Olson said businesses across Texas have expressed opposition to features of Obamacare including the provision that redefines full-time work.

“Many have announced they will have to reduce hourly employees to 29 hours or less to comply with the law’s requirements and corresponding high costs,” Olson said in his statement.